|
-
POSTING RULES

-
Donate yearly (please).
-
Advertise in here!
-
Today's Posts
|
Insert Pics
|

06-06-2014, 11:53 AM
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 78
|
|
Sealing the Tanks...
I am closing in on sealing my tanks in the next couple of weeks and wanted to ask a few questions.
-Vans has sealant in their web store, but it isn't "ProSeal". AC Spruce has Proseal, albeit at about double the cost for the same quantity. I am leaning towards the VANS stuff because that is what the book says, but should I be getting actual Proseal from Spruce instead?
-In my Vans shopping cart, I have the pre-fab'd fuel pickup (with screen), the test kit, the "regular" old float type sending units, and (for now) the sealant.
...Is there anything else I am missing?
...Do I need bushings for the vent line, or do they come in the RV-7 kit?
...I've seen mention of a "sealed" or closed nutplate for the retaining ring / access plate. Are these needed, or can I stick with the regular old nutplates.
-The T-410 Nose Reinforcement plate, should I position that so that it matches the rib contour, or should I move it further forward and butt it up against the skin?
I've read the very awesome post from Rick re: how he seals up his tanks. I'm thinking I'll get the stiffeners, fuel cap, and drain done in one session (i.e. seal and rivet at the same time). For the ribs, I was going to coat them with sealant and install all of them with cleco's in every hole. Once all of them were cleco'd in, I was going to swing back around and rivet them rather then waiting 2-3 days. I've read about concerns that the cleco's don't squeeze out enough and to not wait, so I figured I'd cleco them all in and rivet the same day.
At this point I think we will have run out of daylight (figuratively speaking). Is it ok to run a bead along each rib and then hit the shop heads with sealant the next day or a few days after riveting the ribs in? Also, the baffle will probably have to wait until the next weekend. Any issues with that?
Does anyone see any issues with any of the above? I think I thought it through enough, but there is a lot of experience here that I'd like to tap into before I jump.
John
Houston, TX
RV-7A
Empennage (Mostly Done)
Wing (Tanks)
|

06-06-2014, 12:17 PM
|
 |
|
|
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: West Jordan, Utah
Posts: 228
|
|
Bushings for vent line come in kit.
Vans uses the standard nutplates as have many a leak free builder.
T-410: Closer to the skin, easier it is to seal.
I clecoed to 100% and then let it sit for 8 months. Riveted fine. Heck, some manufactures glue the ribs in and never rivet. You may get a "tighter" assembly, but I think mine were very well sealed around each rivet and tight enough.
The AC Spruce ProSeal is essentially the same stuff as the Flamemaster Sealant.
Sealing the shop heads later should be fine. Just make sure they are clean from human oils/by products.
Baffle can be done long after or just after. No issues.
Hope that helps. I am just ahead of you at the moment. See log.
__________________
Jason Hess
N777JH - Reserved
RV-7 - Builders Log Tail complete, wings nearly done, starting fuselage!
RV Factory - Complete sans floor coating, Slideshow Here
Quote:
People are not excellent because they achieve great things; they achieve great things because they choose to be excellent.
Gerald G. Probst, Beloved Grandfather, WWII B-24 Pilot, Successful Businessman
|
|

06-06-2014, 01:14 PM
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Dublin, CA
Posts: 1,261
|
|
One thing to keep in mind with the nose reinforcement plates is the angle on the outer one. Sorry I'm at work without the part numbers. Make sure you position the rivets such that there is plenty of clearance to do your bucking.
Also you should decide if you are going to use the gasket. Many people here don't including myself. I just used the sealant since the gasket tends to go so it appears after some time.
__________________
Ray Tonks
2020 Donation Paid
Titan IOX-370, Dual PMAGs, 9.6:1 Pistons, FM-150
RV-7 Fuselage in progress
* Cabin Interior - In progress
RV-7 SB Wings
* Both Wings fully skinned
* Fuel Tanks Complete - No leaks finally
* Ailerons Complete
* Flaps Complete
RV-7 Empennage - Complete (a little fiberglass work left)
Vans Training Kit # 2 - Complete
RV-7 Preview Plans
Vans Training Kit #1 - Complete
EAA Sheet Metal Class - Complete
|

06-06-2014, 02:14 PM
|
 |
|
|
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Savannah, GA
Posts: 1,029
|
|
After trying the "let it sit" method on the left main, I just buttered, clecoed, and riveted immediately for the other tanks. Made a mess either way so I figured why not knock it out and be done?
Quote:
Originally Posted by SilverEagle2
The AC Spruce ProSeal is essentially the same stuff as the Flamemaster Sealant.
|
"Proseal" is just a brand name; all of the products meet the MIL-S-8802 standard. I used the AC-236 B4 (4 hour cure) from Spruce, then found out that Van's sells B2 (2-hour cure) at a lower price for twice as much sealant. Yes, you read that right, Van's sells a quart (2 pints) for $39, and 1 pint of B4 from Spruce is $44  The longer working time is nice, but I would have rather saved $100...
Quote:
|
Sealing the shop heads later should be fine. Just make sure they are clean from human oils/by products.
|
Might as well just do it right after riveting; you'll probably have some sealant left anyway, and there might be some wet sealant remaining around the rivets. I found that a (gloved) finger worked much better for this than trying to use a toothpick. It is also much easier to add sealant to each hole with a toothpick prior to rivet insertion than trying to dip the rivets.
__________________
RV-7ER - finishing kit and systems installation
There are two kinds of fool in the world. The first says "this is old, and therefore good"; the second says "this is new, and therefore better".
|

06-06-2014, 02:18 PM
|
 |
|
|
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Estes Park, CO
Posts: 3,947
|
|
Tank sealant
John
Looks like you got good advise already but I'll chime in on a couple things having just finished mine (tested no leaks).
1. Get two quarts of the Vans sealer. Its fine if not better than Proseal and lots cheaper. The pot life is longer too. Put one in the freezer. I used one and maybe 1/3 of the second.
2. Get two test kits unless you plan to build one at a time. See my blog under the "tanks" section on how I set up my test.
3. I'm no expert but the tip section thread by Rick Galati worked great for me. I fay sealed every part.
4. I used the floating plate nuts. Not required but they are great. No worries about leaks through the screw holes.
5. If you go with standard pickups, I would leave out the gasket and proseal the access plate. I actually used the gasket and sealed it with Titeseal because I might have to open the tanks again. Possibility of adding a return line is looming on the horizon of my build.
6. You can go back and seal shop heads and set the baffles. Just clean as others directed.
7. Read other builder logs. Lots of tips on sealing baffles. One good one is two days after setting the baffle and setting the rivets, while the proseal fillets and shop head dollops are still a little soft, put wax paper on the spar and put the tank on and leave it for a day or two. It will shape the proseal where the spar cap might touch. Then remove it and leave the tank alone for at least a week before testing.
8. I preferred waiting a couple days to set rivets. It was less messy.
__________________
Larry Larson
Estes Park, CO
http://wirejockrv7a.blogspot.com
wirejock at yahoo dot com
Donated 12/03/2019, plus a little extra.
RV-7A #73391, N511RV reserved (2,000+ hours)
HS SB, empennage, tanks, wings, fuse, working finishing kit
Disclaimer
I cannot be, nor will I be, held responsible if you try to do the same things I do and it does not work and/or causes you loss, injury, or even death in the process.
Last edited by wirejock : 06-06-2014 at 02:25 PM.
Reason: edited text
|

06-06-2014, 04:50 PM
|
 |
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: 45G, Brighton, MI
Posts: 1,867
|
|
I found that using acid brushes trimmed to about 1/4 to 3/8 inch worked great for initially applying sealant, as well as encapsulating the shop heads.
__________________
Miles (VAF# 1238, Paid up as of 2018)
RV-7 TU 904KM (reserved)
Wings Fitted and Finish Kit on site
Construction Log
Picasa: Empennage Album, Wings Album, Fuselage Album
1955 Cessna 170B flying since 1982
'To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.' -Unk.
|

06-07-2014, 11:51 AM
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 78
|
|
Thanks
Thanks for the advice folks. Looking forward to knocking this out over the next few weeks 
|

06-07-2014, 12:34 PM
|
 |
|
|
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Half Moon Bay, CA
Posts: 1,035
|
|
I found that the "filleting spoons" you can get from Avery and others were very helpful spreading and shaping the squeeze-out after assembly. I used popsicle sticks, etc, too, but he various sizes and the contour of the spoon made it particularly easy to use for fillet shaping and spreading proseal on the shop heads. About $10 for the plastic ones.
__________________
Bill Bencze
N430WB RV-7 #74152 @ KHAF, tip-up; IO-360-M1B; Hartzell CS. !! Phase 1 !!
2357 hrs over 8.5 years to get to flying. Log at: http://rv7.wbencze.com
VAF 2020 donation happily made
|

06-08-2014, 10:03 AM
|
 |
|
|
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Estes Park, CO
Posts: 3,947
|
|
Fillets
Quote:
Originally Posted by wjb
I found that the "filleting spoons" you can get from Avery and others were very helpful spreading and shaping the squeeze-out after assembly. I used popsicle sticks, etc, too, but he various sizes and the contour of the spoon made it particularly easy to use for fillet shaping and spreading proseal on the shop heads. About $10 for the plastic ones.
|
It's a testament to our group's ingenuity when you see all the different methods to accomplish a task. Awesome group.
I used tongue depressors and popsicle sticks. I would sand them to shape as needed on the bench sander. For fay surface spreaders, the tongue depressor was sanded to an angle at the end with a sharp edge. For fillets, both would be sanded to a curve with a sharp edge. For dollops and rivet holes, I cut the fuzzy end of q-tips and used the stick. I wrapped a piece of masking tape around the end to make them longer for my gloved fingers.
Plastic spoons sound like a good idea too!
__________________
Larry Larson
Estes Park, CO
http://wirejockrv7a.blogspot.com
wirejock at yahoo dot com
Donated 12/03/2019, plus a little extra.
RV-7A #73391, N511RV reserved (2,000+ hours)
HS SB, empennage, tanks, wings, fuse, working finishing kit
Disclaimer
I cannot be, nor will I be, held responsible if you try to do the same things I do and it does not work and/or causes you loss, injury, or even death in the process.
|

06-08-2014, 01:49 PM
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: BC
Posts: 1,674
|
|
I used a large syringe with the tip drilled out, filled with Van's proseal to dap the rivets. Never had to touch the proseal and every rivet has a perfectly shaped "hat" with minimal proseal used. Kinda like putting decorative icing trim on a cake.
Bevan
__________________
RV7A Flying since 2015
O-360-A1F6 (parallel valve) 180HP
Dual P-mags
Precision F.I. with AP purge valve
Vinyl Wrapped Exterior
Grand Rapids EFIS
Located in western Canada
|
| Thread Tools |
Search this Thread |
|
|
|
| Display Modes |
Linear Mode
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
All times are GMT -6. The time now is 06:22 AM.
|